Patrol

The nearly 100 officers assigned to Patrol are the back bone of the Portland Police Department. These men and women patrol the City 24 hours per day, seven days a week. The majority of patrol officers work a 4/10 schedule (four ten hour shifts per week). A smaller contingent is assigned to work a traditional 5/8 schedule in order to concentrate coverage during peak hours.

Patrol Officers are the first responders to more than 80,000 calls for service in the City of Portland each year including armed robberies, domestic violence incidents, thefts, and public disorder complaints. In addition to responding to citizen generated calls, officers self-initiate activity by searching for wanted individuals, conducting traffic enforcement, and checking assigned areas for suspicious individuals or situations. They also conduct preliminary investigations, write incident reports, arrest suspects, and issue citations.

Patrol Officers are assigned to specific geographic areas which are known as beats. This enables quicker response to calls and encourages familiarity with residents and neighborhood issues. The patrol beats are structured to take advantage of natural boundaries such as major thoroughfares and traditional neighborhoods while ensuring an even distribution of call volume.